Yesterday was Tisha B’Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar.
My family and I sat on the floor together, reflecting on the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the many tragedies our people have endured throughout history. As the day wore on and the hours seemed to pass more slowly, fast-day headaches began to set in. Somewhere between those conversations and the rumbling stomachs, I found myself thinking.
How is it that, thousands of years later, we’re still here? Still fasting. Still mourning. Still telling this story.
And then something occurred to me.
Maybe the very fact that we’re still here remembering is itself the greatest comfort.
Empires that sought to destroy us are long gone. Nations that once seemed invincible have faded into history. Yet the Jewish people are still here. Still remembering. Still telling our story.
This Shabbos has a special name: Shabbos Nachamu, the Shabbos of Comfort. It always follows Tisha B’Av, reminding us that while grief is real, it is never the end of the story. We don’t remain in mourning forever. We begin to heal.
The name comes from the opening words of this week’s Haftorah: “Nachamu, Nachamu Ami” “Comfort, comfort My people,” says Hashem.
What is that comfort?
Perhaps it is the reminder that no matter what we’ve endured as a people, or what we’re going through personally today, Hashem has never left us. Through every exile, every heartbreak, every challenge, He has remained by our side. Even when we struggle to feel His presence. Even when we temporarily lose our way. He never gives up on us.
That message is echoed beautifully in this week’s parshah, Va’eschanan. As Moshe prepares the Jewish people to enter Israel, he also speaks honestly about exile and hardship. Yet he offers an extraordinary promise: “You will seek Hashem your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” (Devarim 4:29)
Moshe reminds us that Hashem is a compassionate God who never abandons His people or forgets the promises He made to us.
Every one of us is carrying something. We are all in some form of exile. Some struggles are visible; others are known only to us and to Hashem. Shabbos Nachamu reminds us that even in those moments, Hashem is with us; guiding us, strengthening us, and patiently waiting for us to turn to Him.
As we welcome this Shabbos of Comfort, my hope is that each of us feels Hashem’s presence a little more deeply, finds strength in His promises, and takes comfort in knowing that just as He carried our people through every generation, He continues to carry each one of us today.
Wishing you and your family a meaningful Shabbos Nachamu!